The Taking of Raqqa: One man’s story of how his hometown fell to ISIS

Abu Ibrahim al-Raqqawi was born and raised in northern Syria, in the city of Raqqa, founded more than 2,000 years ago on the banks of the Euphrates River. The heart of the city was the grassy square known as Naem, meaning “Paradise” in Arabic. And to Raqqawi, it did seem like a small piece of heaven.